Source

INDIA, May 22, 2005: India exports human hair worth US$300 million a year for making mannequins, wigs and hair “extensions” mainly for young women. What started as a small business of export worth $60,000 to $120,000 a year in the early 80’s has now grown to a mammoth scale, with nearly 40 exporters, including 10 big players, engaged in this field in India now, a leading exporter and proprietor of Raj Impex (India), Chennai, Benjamin Cherian, told PTI.



The chartered accountant and Harvard educated exporter said export of human hair, especially the long hair from India, was always a big business in the 1960’s and the demand was so much at that time that the prices kept soaring since the quantity supplied was very limited. In 1970, the Japanese tried their hands successfully in marketing synthetic hair which was much cheaper and which can be manufactured to any length, with the result that the entire market for natural human hair had collapsed in the next 10 years. In the mid 80’s, after using synthetic hair for a long time, people began to realize that the natural human hair, though expensive, was far better in quality and in comfort for wigs and “extensions,” and the demand for natural hair picked up once again, Cherian said. Now Indian human hair is exported in various colors like black and dark brown, grey, white and brown and is also classified as straight, curly, wavy and silky.



Speaking on procurement, Cherian said the main source was Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, which alone supplied 400 tons of human hair per year to Indian exporters. Palani temple in Tamil Nadu auctioned six to seven tons a year and several other temples, big and small, in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, met the remaining requirements. Cherian said while the procurement of human hair, known as “Remy” (from head to tail) from Tirupathi was only through auction, it was through contract system from other temples. In North India, women do not tonsure their heads even for vows.

Post Views: 629